Sexual Tension
by Phoebe2022
Summary: Bella: Single mother of two. Edward: Father of two. The two meet, and instantly start fighting. They say that they can't stand each other, but they can't help but feel the pull...Slightly OOC, AH.
1. Chapter 1

**Heyy! This is my first story on fanfiction, and I hope you like it! Reviews = Faster Updates**

**BPOV**

"Hayden Morgan Black, we have to go!" I yelled up the stairs.

"I'm coming, Momma," my seven year old son yelled back.

"Today?"

"Mom, I'm gonna be in the car," my ten year old son, Xander, said, grabbing his glove and running out the door.

"You're going to be late for baseball tryouts," I warned Hayden when he finally jumped down the stairs.

"Sorry, Momma," he said bashfully, tossing his brown hair into his eyes. Awww, it still amazes me how someone as normal as me could have such adorable kids! (But then again, everyone thinks that their kids are adorable, so…) Focus, Bella. You're mad at him, remember?

I sighed and smiled at him tightly. "It's alright, Hayden. Get in the car."

Hayden smiled his big smile at me and ran out into the yard, leaving me behind to lock the door to our house and follow him.

I got into the car, where my boys were buckled up and waiting.

"Are you guys excited?" I asked as I pulled out of the driveway.

"Yeah!" Hayden grinned, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"I guess…" Xander said, sounding unsure of himself.

I sighed, rolling down my window so we could get a little bit of the warm California air. "You'll do great, Xander," I told him. "You have nothing to worry about."

Xander had been bullied after Xander and Hayden's dad had left a couple years ago, so he was always worried about meeting new people.

"But—but what if they don't like me?" Xander asked, fiddling with his baseball glove.

"Why wouldn't they?" I asked him. "You don't have to tell him about Dad, you know."

"Really?" Xander asked.

"Of course," I said, feeling a surge of hate flow through me at what their father and my ex-husband had done to me and our kids. Correction: _My_ kids. "No one will know the difference."

"Cool," Xander grinned and I smiled back.

"So who's ready to play some ball?" I asked my sons.

"Me!" they both cried back and I laughed.

"How would you guys feel about going to that ice cream place on the beach after tryouts?" I suggested, parking in the parking lot of the baseball field.

"Cool!" Hayden cried, unbuckling himself and jumping out of our mini-van.

"Xan?"

"Sure, Mom, thanks," he said, getting out slower than Hayden had.

"You're welcome, bud," I replied, adjusting my baseball hat in the rearview mirror.

"Are ya' coming, Mom, or are you going to stare at yourself in the mirror all day?" Xander smirked.

"Hey!" I said, pretending to be offended. "I can't help it that I'm just so amazingly beautiful!"

"Sure, Mom," Xander laughed. "Whatever makes you happy."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Xander said, smiling at me innocently.

"I'm watching you, my boy," I said, trying to intimidate him.

Xander laughed. So much for that plan.

"Where do we go, Mom?" Hayden asked.

"I think we go register over there," I said, pointing to a booth where a huge man was standing, explaining something to a clueless looking woman.

I started walking over to the booth and Xander and Hayden followed me. Hayden grabbed my right hand, but Xander was too cool to do something that little kid-ish.

I got them registered and then they went to stand with their respective age groups, doing some drills and then beginning a mock game.

I wandered over to the stands, where I watched Xander hit a home run and Hayden catch a fly ball.

There were several men clustered within hearing distance of where I sat down, and couldn't help but listen to their conversation.

"The boy with the brown hair and the red shirt is awesome!" one of them said, sounding impressed, pointing to Hayden.

_Of course he is, he is my son,_ I felt like saying. Either that or doing a happy dance. Either one.

"So's the one with the blue shirt in the ten year olds section," another man said, nodding over at Xander.

I grinned. I had taught my boys everything they knew about baseball!

"I want the one in the red shirt for my team," another man said.

"No! I was the one who pointed him out!" the first man argued. "I have first dibs!"

"I call the one in the blue," the second man said immediately.

"You always get the best players," a man on the outside of the cluster whined.

I grinned even wider. They were fighting over my boys! _Ha, ha,_ the mama bear in me gloated.

I suddenly realized how hungry I was, so I went down to the concessions stand to get a hot dog or some other unhealthy crap. (I know, I know. I'm a mother of two; I shouldn't be talking like that, but whatever. I'm only twenty-seven.)

I was waiting in line when the man in front of me turned around and walked right into me, spilling ketchup and a hotdog all over my shirt.

"Omigod!" I gasped.

"Oh, no!" the man groaned, running a hand through his hair.

The devil who had suddenly appeared on my shoulder urged me to jump his bones. _What are you doing, standing there, bemoaning your shirt? That man is _fine_!_

My angel didn't think anything of his looks…well, not much, anyways. _Don't be too harsh on him, Bella. At least he's good looking._

I thought that angels were supposed to give you good advice, not agree with the devil!

"My shirt," I moaned, dabbing at the ketchup with a napkin. Why had I worn white today? I should know better, being the klutz that I am…

"Ugh," the man sighed. "Now I'll have to buy a new hotdog for Mia…"

Was he fucking kidding me? (Language, language, I know!) He had just gotten ketchup all over my shirt, and he was worried about buying a new hotdog? Oh no he just di-dn't!

"Excuse me?" I asked, my mouth hanging open.

_Oh, yeah, give it to him, girl!_ my devil egged me on.

_Don't be too harsh on him…_dearest angel warned me. That was more like it…

"I have to buy a new hotdog for my daughter and I'm supposed to be seeing who I want on my team!" the man snapped.

"Shouldn't you be apologizing to me?" I screeched. "You got ketchup all over my _white shirt_!"

"It's not my fault you were standing right behind me!" the man argued, running his hand through his bronze locks again. Hot! Wait! What was I thinking! This man was a total jackass. (Oh, shut up. I know that I shouldn't be using language, but I was _pissed off_!)

"I was in line, half wit! Let me explain this to you," I growled. "When you stand in line, you generally stand _behind_ the person in front of you! And you don't turn around and run right into the person behind you!"

"It's not my fault you were standing way closer than most people do when they stand in line," the man snapped.

"Ex-_cuse_ me?" I shrieked. "You're blaming _me_?!"

_Give it to him! Give it to him good! _the devil cackled, relishing my anger. I was far more forgiving than she liked.

_What did I just say? _the angel moaned, rubbing her temples. _You never listen to me!_

What? All I ever did was listen to her!

"Hey! You're holding up the line!" a woman behind me yelled.

"Tell it to someone who cares!" I snapped, turning back to the jackass in front of me. "Listen, you jackass! Suck it up and give me some money to buy a new shirt!"

"You're fucking kidding me!" Jackass snarled. "I'm not buying you a new shirt!"

"Uh, _yeah_, you are!" I snapped.

"Hell-lo, can you please just move out of the line?" the same woman asked.

"Edward," a short black haired girl said, pulling on his arm. Wait. Where did she just come from? "What did you do now?"

"Nothing, I—"

_OMIGOD!! _my angel shrieked. _MAYBE HE'S, LIKE, SPECIAL ED!_

_No way. No fucking way, _devil snapped, rolling her eyes. _If he was "special," he wouldn't be yelling at her or coaching baseball. And he's too hot!_

_What does that have to do with it? _the angel asked.

Oh. My. God. What if angel was right?

"I'm sorry," the woman apologized to me. "My jackass brother sure has a way of making women want to kill him!"

I laughed unsurely. And her point was…

"We'll pay for your shirt," she continued. "He's just too stubborn to say that he was wrong and that it was his mistake—" She rolled her eyes. "It's a running joke in our family. My husband and my other brother are constantly betting on how many people he's going to get into fights with."

I smiled, still unsure about what her point was.

"I'm Alice Cullen Hale," she finished, holding out her hand.

"Bella Swan," I introduced myself, shaking her hand.

"Let's go buy you a shirt!" she grinned. "They have all these cute little boutiques along the beach! Well, you probably know that, but…"

"Sorry, I can't leave," I said. "My sons are trying out."

"You have kids?" Alice asked, sounding and looking surprised. "You don't look old enough to have kids old enough to be in baseball!"

Seriously? Oh, yeah!

"They're seven and ten," I admitted.

"No way!" Alice laughed. "You look like you're twenty years old!"

"Really?" I squealed. "Alice! You just made my day!"

"Naw," she denied it. "I just made up for my brother!"

We laughed.

"Can you keep the line moving?" someone called up.

"Oops!" Alice giggled. "Sorry!"

She pulled me out of the line and Jackass followed, still running his hands through his hair. I wondered if it was a silky as it looked…

_STOP! _my angel cried. _You have two sons, you can't start dating this soon after _he_ left._

_Oh, stop it, _the devil sighed. _Let her have some fun, will you? He's _hawt_!_

"I have a jacket in my car that you can borrow," Alice babbled. "We can go get it, and after tryouts we can go get you a new shirt with Edward's money?"

"Hey!" Jackass cried.

"Sure!" I said, grinning at Alice. "That would be awesome!"

Take that, Jackass!

***

An hour later, baseball tryouts were over, and they were calling out the teams.

Hayden was on Alice's husband's team and they were getting to the ten year olds teams now.

Jackass stepped forward and started calling names.

"Jason Adams, Xander Black—" _FUCK! _"Willie Cullen…"

Oh. My. God.

My son was on Jackass's team.

"After tryouts, everyone on my team and Jasper's is welcome to come to my home for a dinner," Jackass finished after he had called out everyone's names.

One word summed up how I was feeling: fuckshitfuckshitfuckshit!

**What do you think? **

**If you notice that there's a random kid named Zach, then that kid is Xander. Zach was his original name, but then I changed it. (Too close to Jack Black.) I read it over, but I might have missed a Zach. **

**Reviews = Happy Author = Updates!**

**Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Aloha! I was pretty happy with the reviews that I got...apparently I got 10 reviews in the first day!! But I can't find them in my email. :( phooey. Oh! Hey, look, I found them!! Haha, blond moment! (No offense if you don't like those jokes...)**

**I should have known that you guys would be confused about how Bella got to be single and their history and everything...it'll all be explained in some flashbacks and their conversations and everything. Until then, I'm going to keep up the cryptic conversations! :)**

**I forgot to do a disclaimer last chapter, so here it is...**

**I DO NOT OWN BELLA, EDWARD, OR ANYTHING :( EXCEPT FOR XANDER AND HAYDEN :)**

**BPOV**

"Mom, can we go to Coach Edward's house?" Xander asked me excitedly. "This is my new friend Willie" --he continued on without waiting for an answer-- "And his dad is Coach Edward!"

"Hi, Willie," I said, reminding myself that it wasn't his fault that his dad was such a douche. Be nice to him, Bella. It's not his fault that he has those adorable green eyes, that perfect reddish hair...Snap out of it, Bella!

"Hi, Mrs. Black," Willie said, grinning up at me.

Xander elbowed him and gave him a look.

"Oh!" Willie gasped, blushing. "Sorry. Hi, Miss Swan."

I laughed. "It's alright, Willie. It's nice to meet you."

"You too, Miss Swan," he said shyly.

"You can call me Bella," I suggested.

"Really?" Willie asked hopefully. Hmmmm...

"Of course!" I told him.

Hayden appeared at my elbow.

"Hayden!" I squealed, giving him a hug. "Good job, buddy!"

"Thanks, Momma," Hayden said, grinning from ear to ear and for once not worried about what the older boys thought of my hugging him.

"Whoops, I forgot something," I grinned, throwing my arms around Xander. "Sorry, hon, I forgot to tell you how great you were out there."

"Mom!" Xander cried. "We're in public! And my friend is around!"

Willie beamed at that and I smiled.

"Yes, baby, but I _luurve_ you!" I teased him, giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

"Mo-_om_!" Xander whined. "Gross!"

I sighed, wiping a fake tear from my eye. "I miss the days when my little boys loved it when I hugged them and were always cuddling with me! What happened to those boys?"

"They grew up," Xander joked.

"You're ten years old, you're not old enough to be embarrassed about your mom," I told him, turning his baseball cap the right way. It looked cuter the right way on him. "Right, Willie? Hayden? I wasn't embarrassed about my mom until...well, that's irrelevant."

Xander stubbornly turned backwards again.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed about your mom, Xander," Willie said earnestly. I smiled at him. I think I liked him. He was nothing like is father. "At least you have one to embarrass you."

FUCK!

"Momma, what does irrelevant mean?" Hayden asked.

"Unimportant," I told him. "Oh, Willie, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, sweetheart."

"It's alright, Bella," Willie said.

I couldn't help myself. I just had to hug him.

At first he was stiff in my arms, but then he relaxed and hugged me back. I loved little boys.

"GROUP HUG!" Hayden shouted, obviously feeling left out. I loved it when he had to share his mom (me), since then he got even more affectionate than he normally was. I laughed when I felt my boys join us, Xander apparently not embarrassed anymore since Willie was hugging me. Gee, I feel so special. He won't hug his old mom unless it's cool enough for his friends to do it, too. What has the world come to these days?

"Okay, group hug over," I said after a second. "Tonight is _soo_ shower night."

Willie laughed and Xander glared at me playfully.

"Thanks, Mom," he said. "This is the smell of hard work!"

"We are men now!" Hayden said, putting his arms up in a body builder pose.

"Oh, you guys!" I whined. "Since you love me, you won't do that anymore."

"Do I really have a choice?" Xander asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"Nope," I laughed. "I'm your mom, you have to worship the ground I walk on."

"What does that mean?" Hayden asked.

Oh. Huh, I always forgot about how my boys weren't really that old...they were only in second and fourth grade, after all, so I should really stop using all the difficult words and sayings...

"You should love me more than you love life itself," I told him.

Hayden frowned.

"What does that mean?" he asked, sounding adorably confused.

Oh. So much for that plan.

"It means you should love her a ton," Willie supplied.

"Exactly," I agreed, pulling Alice's jacket around myself. "Oh! I've got to return my friend's jacket, or else who knows what she'll do to me. She loves her clothes," I told them.

Right on cue, Alice appeared. "Bell-la!" she wailed. "I've been worried sick about my ja--"

"Hi, Auntie Alice," Willie said.

"Willie!" she gasped in surprise. "You scared me! What are you doing here?"

"Talking with my new best friend and his family," Willie told her. "What are you doing here?"

"Awww," Alice cooed. "I'm here getting my coat back from my new best friend."

I liked her!

"Why are you wearing her coat, Momma?" Hayden asked me.

"I had a little, erm, accident, with her brother," I told him.

Alice giggled. "An accident involving ketchup and a white shirt."

"Mom has those all the time," Xander stage whispered to Willie. "Ketchup, squirt guns, blood, dog doo...you name it, she's had an accident with it!"

"Dog doo?" Alice and Willie asked in perfect sync.

"Dog poop looks too much like dirt!" I defended myself.

"Eew!" Alice and Willie squealed.

"What did you do?" Alice asked, completely enthralled.

"No comment," I said quickly, deciding to change the topic. "Are we going to go get me a new shirt now?" I was really getting desperate if I was changing the topic to _shopping_.

"Silly Bella," Alice sighed. "Of course not! Xander is on Edward's team, so you guys have to come to the party!"

"Uh, actually..." I said.

"Mom!" Xander pleaded. "I have to meet my coach and my new teammates! I could meet some more friends!" His eyes shone with the possibility.

"Please, Bella?" Willie asked. "It would be fun if you were there. Me and Auntie Alice could introduce you to people!"

Right on cue, they all did their puppy dog faces. I groaned. Between Alice and the boys, I didn't stand a chance.

"Alright," I conceded. "But remember, I start work tomorrow, and that means that you two have to get up early with me to go to daycare, so we won't be staying late, understood? And I warned you, so no complaints when it's time to go tonight."

"Yay!" they all squealed.

Oh my god. They were already acting like Alice. Great. Two mini-Alices. Male, of course. MMA's. Mini Male Alices.

"But I have to give you your coat back, and I can't go to their party with ketchup all over the front of my shirt," I reasoned with Alice.

"Silly Bella," Alice sighed. I could tell that that saying was quickly becoming her favorite. "I already thought of everything. I bought you this adorable shirt and then I couldn't resist buying you some really cute pants and shoes, too. Oh! And a headband! They are ah-mazing!"

I started to protest; she shouldn't have spent money on me, but she cut me off.

"Don't say anything, Bella dear," Alice said before I could get a word out. "You're practically family now, since Willie and Xander and friends and Hayden is on Jazzy's team and Xander is on Edward's team. You have to let me buy you stuff!"

"You shouldn't have bought me anything," I protested.

"Mom has, like, a phobia of gifts," Xander said. "And money."

"And spiders," Hayden chimed in.

"And snakes."

"Permanent markers."

"Zoos."

"Littlest pet shops."

"Okay, okay!" I said quickly. "I think they get it.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Permanent markers?"

"Expensive counter tops, boys, and permanent markers don't mix," I defended myself.

Alice laughed and I couldn't help but smile. It was high and like bells ringing. Adorable.

"Can you get dressed, Momma? I wanna go to the party," Hayden said.

"Please, Mom?" Xander asked, giving me the puppy dog look again.

"Please, Bella?" Willie asked.

"Fine," I caved.

"Yay!" they all squealed.

"You can change in your car and I'll watch the boys," Alice said, shoving us off of the bleachers and yanking us into the parking lot. "Don't worry, they'll be in good hands."

"You sound like that car commercial," Hayden giggled.

Less TV time for you, mister!

Alice pulled us over to our mini-van and then let go, rummaging around in her purse for something.

"No sugar," I commanded her. "They'll get on sugar high and then they'll be up all night and tomorrow I have my first day of work, so we have to get up early to take them to daycare and if they don't get up early enough I'll be late for work on my first day, and that wouldn't look good, would it? So no sugar for Xander or Hayden."

"Yessir!" Alice said, jumping into a mock salute.

I glared jokingly at her. "I'm watching you."

The boys snorted.

"Mom thinks she can be scary," Xander told Alice and Willie.

"It doesn't work," Hayden chimed in.

"Thanks guys," I pouted.

"Bella, just get in the car and change," Alice said, finally finding whatever she had been looking for in her purse and holding the passenger side door of our van open for me. Wait. How did she know which car was ours? I didn't think that I had told her...

"No sugar for Alice, either," I told the boys, ignoring Alice and the door waiting open for me. "She's already hyper enough as it is."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Can you get in the car? Please? I'm going to be late for my own party!"

"Oh, Alice," I said, putting on my best sympathetic voice. She smiled slightly at my repenting tone. "Suck it up!"

Alice glowered at me and I grinned.

"Do you have any more insightful comments?" she asked.

"Ummmm...I don't think so," I said.

"Then get in the car," she commanded, gesturing wildly at the open door.

I sighed and took the bag of clothes that she was holding out for me.

"Thank you!" she said, slamming the door behind me.

***

I opened the bag and immediately fell a little bit more in love with Alice. She had picked out a dark blue baby doll top, cutoff jeans (They were short, but not too short, since I'm a mom and that would be inappropriate to some.), blue flats, and a matching blue headband. Along with the outfit, there was a brush so I could fix my hair.

I changed quickly and then brushed out my hair, sliding the headband in to tie the whole outfit together. I checked my makeup quickly and then stepped out of the van.

"Ta-da!" I cried.

"Oh, Bella, you look amazing!" Alice squealed.

"Wow, you clean up good, Mom," Xander observed over his ice cream cone. Wait. Ice cream cone?

"Alice Cullen Hale," I said through clenched teeth. "Why are my children eating ice cream cones?"

I couldn't help but notice how Willie beamed at my statement.

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "I didn't want them to feel bad about you getting a whole new outfit and them getting nothing, so I bought those for them. They're only mediums, though, so they won't be on sugar high for long!"

I ran a hand through my hair. "Fine. But no more sugar."

"Yay!" Alice and Hayden squealed.

"I thought you would make us throw them away," Xander said.

"And waste a perfectly good ice cream cone?" I asked in mock horror. "Never!"

Xander, Willie, and Hayden giggled.

"But I get a lick," I insisted.

Xander and Hayden sighed and handed over their ice cream cones, strawberry and vanilla.

I took a lick off of both ("Don't you _dare_ get ice cream on your brand new outfit, Bella Swan!") and nodded. "Those are good," I admitted.

"See?" Alice smiled smugly.

"I didn't say that I forgave you for buying them in the first place," I warned her.

Alice pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking out her bottom lip far more than was necessary.

"Fine!" I said. "You're forgiven!"

"Yes!" she squealed. "Now let's get to the party!"

Oh, joy.

**What do you think? Is it worthy of a review? :)**

**So I got extremely p.o.'ed when it suddenly deleted half of this chapter today, making this take about a half an hour longer than necessary. :( Oh, well.**

**ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS, OR SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME! :)**

**Reviews = Love From Author = Update! (Maybe even one again tomorrow, if I'm sick again!)  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Haha, whaddya know! I'm back, and healthy again too! Yay for the healthy, boo for not being able to waste away my whole day on ff! :( Oh, well, we'll all just have to deal! :)**

**A few questions/comments were asked in reviews, so I'm going to answer them now! (I'm too lazy to reply to every review that I get, so just imagine that I'm cheering whenever you press the little green review button...which I would like you to do when you're done with this chapter...Please? Pretty please, with Edward on top? Yumm! Why don't any ice cream places have Edward toppings? Ooh, that would be cool! Okay, okay. I get it. FOCUS!!!)  
**

**1) The Cullens aren't vampires. In my summary it said AH (All Human)...At least I think it did...Now I'm going to go check to make sure that it does!! :)**

**2) Even if the Cullens WERE vampires (which they aren't), Edward would still be able to have a kid! (Breaking Dawn, anyone?)**

**3) I know right! Thanks! I spent, like, forever finding out the perfect names for Bella/Edward's kids. (Don't get confused, they didn't have any kids together. That's just a faster way of saying it! But then again, if you're going to review to ask me about it and you wouldn't normally review...Go ahead! :))**

**4) I know I already replied to the reviewer who sent the review concerning this, but I wanted to say this to everybody, too. (I know! I know! I don't reply to reviews! But if they're uber long and AH-MAZING, I can't really help it, can I? Her's was! :)) Soo, I'm hoping that I'm doing a good job of portraying Bella and the boys' relationship. I wanted her to be like their friend, since she was so young when she had them (like, 17 or 18 for Xander). But I didn't want her to be like Renee, and be more of a best friend than a mother, but yet still a best friend. Does that make sense? Eh, whatever. You get the point. I wanted Bella to worry like most mothers do, but not be super overbearing and be super annoying. So, I came up with this Bella. Did I write her well enough? I like her, but of course I do. Her personality is mine! :) **

**If you have any suggestions for this story or for my writing, I would really appreciate it if you review or PM me about it! Thanks!  
**

**That's about it!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN TWILIGHT OR ANY OF THE CHARACTERS!! (EXCEPT FOR XANDER, HAYDEN, AND WILLIE!! I LOVE THEM!!! THANK GOD THEY'RE MINE, OR I WOULD HAVE TO STEAL THEM!!)  
**

**Now I think I'm done! Wow I don't usually write long authors notes, so this is cool for me! (Don't get used to it...but if you send me a lot of reviews, then I might have to make them even longer...if you like long ANs. Okay, I get it. The review thing is kind of overkill. Whatever! :))**

**BPOV**

We (Alice and me) drove separately. Xander and Hayden came with me, and Willie ran off to find his dad. (AKA The Spawn of Satan...hey! TSS!) Alice knew exactly where she was going (Duh! Edward was her brother!), so we just followed her in our van.

We pulled up outside of a beautiful home. It was old, but in wonderful shape. It was the house I had always dreamed of, right by the beach and spacious, but not too large. Another reason to hate TSS. He had my dream house!

"Whaddya think?" Alice asked, waggling her eyebrows and appearing at my window, scaring the living daylights out of me.

"Alice!" I gasped, putting a hand over my heart. "You scared me!"

"Isn't it _gorgeous_?" Alice sighed, gazing longingly at TSS's house. "It's so beautiful! I helped his wife pick it out, way back when."

He had a wife? I didn't know why that bothered me, but it did. I hadn't noticed a wedding band on his finger earlier, when we were yelling at each other...

"She died in labor with Mia, his three year old daughter," Alice went on, opening the doors to the backseats for Xander and Hayden to hop out. "Edward was distraught, but he got over it, since I sent him and Willie to this _amazing_ therapist. Of course, Willie was too little to really understand what was happening, besides the fact that his mommy was gone. I came and helped out in their house a lot then. He realized that everything happens for a reason."

I nodded, wondering why she was telling me all this. I got out of the car and immediately the scent of the ocean filled my nostrils and I sighed in happiness. I loved the ocean.

Alice and the boys looked at me like I was loony. Here she was, telling me this heartbreaking story about how TSS's wife had died, and I was sighing in pleasure.

"Mom?" Xander asked. "Are you alright?"

I smiled at him. "Sure, bud. I just love the ocean."

"I know right?" Alice squealed. "So does Edward!"

Oh. Why did I hate the beach so much all of a sudden?

"XANDER!" a little voice shouted. "HAYDEN!"

We all turned to the house and saw Willie running towards us, with a little girl who was the spitting image of him and TSS following him, trying to keep up but not being able to keep up on her little legs. I smiled when I saw them and waved. Maybe this was Mia?

"Hi, guys," Willie panted when he finally reached us.

"Wassup?" Xander asked.

Willie shrugged. "Nothing. Guys, this is my sister, Mia. Mia, this is Xander and Hayden."

"Hey, Mia," Hayden and Xander said together, smiling at her sweetly. I smiled to myself. I had raised them so well, even without the presence their asshole father...

_-Flashback-_

_"Bella, I don't give a crap that it's their open house or whatever tonight," Jake yelled at me. "I'm staying at home!"_

_"Don't you care about our children's lives? Don't you care about their education?" I shrieked back at him, knowing immediately afterward that I shouldn't have lost my temper and said anything like that to him. The consequences were going to be huge later, when the boys were asleep and wouldn't know what was going on._

_"I didn't fucking want kids!" Jake snarled. "It's your fucking fault that we have those fucking kids, who are taking up all of our fucking time!"_

_"They adore you!" I pleaded with him._

_Jake grabbed a vase and threw it on the ground, shattering it into a million pieces. "Damn it, Bella! I don't fucking care about those kids! Now stop bitching at me and fucking leave already!"_

_"Jake..." I pleaded._

_Suddenly Jake grabbed a book and hurled it at my head, where it connected with a low _thunk_. I gasped when I felt the slow, warm trickle of blood rolling down my face._

_"Now maybe you'll learn your lesson," Jake sneared at me. "Now get out of my house, bitch."_

_With a quiet sob, I grabbed my purse and ran out the door. _

_-End Flashback-_

"Bella?" Alice asked. "Are you alright?"

My eyes snapped up to her face and I realized that I had been rubbing the light scar on my temple from the book that Jake had thrown at me. I smiled at Alice slightly, but I knew that it came out more like a grimace. I impatiently pulled my hair out of my face, but the wind was determined to keep blowing, so I finally gave up.

"Bella?" Willie asked. "This is my little sister, Mia. Mia, this is Hayden and Xander's mom, Bella."

"Hey, sweetheart," I said, smiling down at her and kneeling down so we were eye level. "I'm Bella."

"Hi," she said shyly, hiding behind her beautiful bronze curls. Her voice was surprisingly clear for that of a three year old, not at all the like voices of most children her age, whose you could barely hear, let alone understand.

"It's nice to meet you," I continued. "My son, Xander, is on your brother's baseball team this year."

"Daddy's his coach?" Mia asked, her eyes snapping up to my face.

I nodded, careful to keep my expression clear, as not to give away my feelings on TSS.

Mia smiled and reached her tiny out to trace my scar. "What's that?"

I jumped slightly. No one had noticed my scar before. I was always careful to wear a hat or to style my hair so that the scar wouldn't show.

"A scar," I answered truthfully.

"What happened?" she asked curiously, still tracing the line of the scar.

"I--ahem--got in an, er, accident," I told her. It was the truth; living with that ass for so long had been an accident. A mistake.

"Oh," Mia said, her forehead wrinkling in adorable confusion. "I get in accidents, too."

"Do you?" I asked her.

She nodded seriously. "That's how I got this." She rolled up her little dress so show me a light bruise on her knee.

"Oh, no," I said, settling down on the sand so I could sit next to her. "How did that happen?"

"I tripped on the stairs," she told me.

"Ouchy," I said sympathetically.

"Mom does that a lot," Xander snickered.

Hayden, Willie, and Alice laughed along with him.

"Betrayal!" I gasped dramatically.

Hayden sat down next to me, on the opposite side of Mia. "Don't worry, Momma," he said reassuringly. "I won't betray you."

I smiled at him and Alice 'aww'ed.

"Thanks, bud," I said, ruffling his hair. Hmm, I think it was time for a haircut... "Hey, Alice?"

"Yeah?" she asked, plopping down on the sand on Mia's other side.

"Do you know of a place where I can get the boys' hair cut?" I asked.

"No!" Hayden squeaked, his hands automatically coming up to his hair, fear in his eyes.

"Betrayal!" Xander gasped, backing away form me. "Don't tell her anything, Alice!"

Alice giggled and I rolled my eyes.

"We can't have you looking like cavemen, can we?" I asked. "No matter how adorable you two would be as cavemen."

"Oh, Bella," Alice said. "They look adorable with longish hair!"

"I can't have them going to school looking uncivilized," I argued.

"Bella," Alice scolded. "That hairstyle is soo in right now. It's the biggest thing! They totally have Justin Bieber hair!"

"He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named!" Willie said dramatically.

"Thou-Shalt-Not-Utter-The-Devil's-Spawn!" Xander agreed.

"Curse his soul!" Hayden giggled.

"Hayden!" I said, surprised. When did he learn that? Oh, I guess I should have made sure that the boys weren't listening to what I was saying about their dad...

Alice giggled. "Stop it, Bella. It's cute! And Justin Bieber is the hottest thing with the girls right now."

"Shawna abandoned me for him!" Willie moaned.

"Who's Shawna?" Xander and Hayden asked together.

"His girlfriend," Mia said helpfully.

"Oooh!" the boys and I said together.

"His ex-girlfriend," Alice corrected.

"She broke up with you?" Xander asked. "That's the worst, man! And for another guy, too!"

I laughed. "What are you talking about? How would you know?"

"I, uh..." Xander stuttered.

"The girls at school said he had a cute butt," Hayden supplied.

"Dude!" Xander howled.

"And he's had um--" He counted out eight fingers on his hand, as though he was thinking each girls name. "Eight girlfriends."

Oh my Lord.

"Dude!" Xander said, looking even more appalled.

"_Eight _girlfriends?" Alice, Willie, and I asked together, Willie sounding impressed and Alice and me confused.

"A cute butt?" Willie snickered. "How is that even possible?"

"Oh, it's possible alright," Xander said, before clamping a hand over his mouth and looking at me guiltily.

"Alrighty, I think that's enough for one night," I said, raising my eyebrows at Xander.

Xander smiled back at me gratefully.

"Go play, and me and Alice are going to talk hair dressers," I said, shooing them away.

"Aunt Alice, please!" Hayden said, giving her his best puppy dog face.

"Have mercy!" Xander begged.

"Suck it up, you wussies," Willie said.

"Don't worry, I'll convince her to change her mind," Alice told them.

"Yay!" they cheered. "Thanks, Aunt Alice!" Aunt Alice? Since when was she their aunt? They ran off to play.

"Don't terrorize the guests!" I called after my boys, knowing that it would be just like them to grab a bag up chips and sit at the top of the staircase, throwing the chips at guests. I know from experience. Their father wasn't the best role model, I guess. I know.

"Whatever, Mom!" Xander yelled back.

I sighed and turned back to Alice and Mia. "Boys." I shrugged.

Mia giggled and Alice smiled down at her.

"Let's go introduce Bella to some people, alright, Mia?" she suggested.

"Okay!" Mia said, bouncing up and down.

We got up and they led me inside, giving me a mini tour while introducing me to a bunch of parents on the team, whose names I forgot right away. I got to meet Alice's husband and Hayden's coach, Jasper Hale, who immediately made me feel comfortable by making several jokes. He was really sweet, and I could tell that he and Alice loved each other very much. They were perfect for each other, balancing each other out. He was laid back and calm, while Alice was always bouncing up and down and bossing people around.

"So your son is Hayden?" Jasper asked me.

"Yeah," I said.

"He's a great player," Jasper said and I could tell that he wasn't just making small talk. He really meant what he was saying.

"Thanks," I said, grinning. "Taught him everything he knows."

Jasper raised his eyebrows. "Really? In that case, do you want to be an assistant coach?"

"His old one bailed," Alice supplied. "She's on bed rest. Pfft! Can you believe it? The team needs her! I cannot believe that she would just abandon them when they need her!"

"Alice," Jasper said. "She's due in a month. I wouldn't expect her to coach when she's eight months pregnant. Would you coach a baseball team while you're eight months pregnant?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "I don't even know how to play baseball! Of course not!"

I giggled. They were too cute together. It made me want someone like that for me...

"Hey, look!" Alice squealed. "It's Edward!" Quick! Hide! "EDWARD! OVER HERE!" Shit. Too late.

TSS weaved his way through the crowd over to us, smiling and greeting everyone he passed.

"Hello, Alice. Jas--" He saw me and he frowned. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Edward!" Alice gasped, appalled.

"My son just happens to be on your team," I told him icily.

TSS frowned. He looked adorable when he was confused...WAIT! Where did that come from?

"You have a son?" he asked.

"Two," I replied, taking a sip of my water.

He raised his eyebrows and I saw his eyes flicker to my left hand. I smirked at him until he noticed that he had been caught.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No," he murmured.

"Am I missing something?" Jasper asked, looking between the two of us.

"Bella and Edward had an accident," Alice giggled, proceeding to tell him the whole story. "...And then Bella was all 'Suck it up, you jackass' and Edward was like 'no way, lady. Leave me alone' and I was all 'Edward! It's not her fault!' and Edward was like 'Shut up, Alice,' and I was like 'It's not her fault that you get into a fight with every single cute woman that you meet'..."

Once Alice was done telling Jasper our whole life stories, Jasper raised his eyebrows at Edward and said teasingly, "Edward, you're usually such a gentleman! I'm surprised! What happened to you? Or have you just been putting on an act this whole time?"

Edward scowled at Jasper's teasing. "Fuck off, Jasper. I was in a hurry! I had to get Mia a hot dog and get back to tryouts 'cause I was missing watching the boys play, so then I might not get a good team! It was her fault!" he finished, pointing in my direction.

"Ex-_cuse_ me?" Alice and I asked incredulously.

"You--you ass!" I sputtered, my mouth doing its best imitation of a fish out of water. "How was it _my_ fault?"

"I cannot believe that I am related to such an inconsiderate person!" Alice wailed. "Look at the example you're setting for your kids!"

TSS rolled his eyes. "They're not even here right now, Alice. Why don't you let me worry about my kids and you mind your own business? Can't you see that we're fine without you trying to control every single minute of our lives!?"

Alice's eyes welled with tears. "I can't believe you just said that!" She hopped out of her seat and ran towards the stairs, wiping her eyes.

Jasper glared at TSS. "What were you thinking, yelling at her like that? All she ever tries to do is help you, and you never thank her or acknowledge her help!" Jasper ran off after Alice, calling her name and following the path that she had taken.

TSS and I were left at the table by ourselves and an awkward silence fell between us. After a couple minutes of avoiding each others' eyes, TSS finally caved. He buried his face in his hands and sighed. "I'm sorry. I was really rude to you and Alice," he said, his voice slightly muffled. "I'm just stressing out about tryouts and work and the kids. I realize that that isn't an excuse for what I said to you two, but it's really hard to be a single parent, ya' know?"

I knew he was right, but his excuses didn't make up for his awful attitude toward me and his sister. I looked at him and absentmindedly fiddled with my hair. "I know what it's like," I admitted. Okay, not what I was planning on saying... "I guess you have a reason to be so stressed out, but you still shouldn't act like that. Alice was right, you're not being a very good example for your kids. And since you're their only parent left, they're going to automatically think that whatever you do is right." Sooo not what I was planning on saying.

Edward looked up from his hands and nodded enthusiastically. "Exactly."

I smiled slightly, opening my mouth to continue, but then I heard shouts coming from outside.

"Listen, you little brats! You don't do that! It's RUDE!" a man's voice bellowed.

I sighed. "That's my sons."

Edward raised his eyebrows at me. "What?" He looked confused again. Oh, God, yummy...BELLA!

"Anytime there's trouble, it's always my sons," I explained, getting up from my chair anxiously. "It's always them, no matter what."

Edward (When had he become Edward instead of TSS? Beats me...) laughed. "That's Willie, also."

We walked quickly outside, where we found a very angry man who looked like he was seven months pregnant yelling at Hayden, Xander, and Willie. The man was sopping wet and looked like a drowned rat. A very, very, _very_ fat drowned rat.

"Sir," I asked tentatively. "What happened?"

"These boys set up a device to throw someone into the pool when they stepped onto a fake hose type of thing," he told me, glaring at me like I had suggested that they did it in the first place. God, I hated these kinds of parents! "Whoever their parents are should be watching these brats. They're lowly, idiotic, stupid _scum_!"

Oh no he didn't. You did not insult my boys, no matter what they did. And Xander had such low self esteem, too, after what Jake had done to them...

I glared right back at him. Hello, Mama Bear! "Those are my boys that you're talking about," I growled at him. I noticed Willie swell with pride when he heard me call him my own. "And you mess with them, you mess with me."

The man's eyes widened. Humph, like I would ever really hurt him. But, then again, he didn't know that...The advantages of moving to a town where nobody had ever heard of you, where no one knew anything about you! "O-oh, ma'am, I didn't mean it like that..."

"Then how did you mean it?" I demanded, my hands balling into fists at my sides.

"Bella..." Edward cautioned me.

I ignored him, true me fashion. "Listen, you old man. They're just kids! They can have some fun sometimes! And I think it's funny as hell what they did to you." I grinned at the boys. "You picked a good target, kids."

The man's mouth dropped open.

"Bella," Edward said, more firmly this time, pulling me away from the man. "Sir, I'm so sorry--"

"Well, I never!" the man huffed. "I cannot believe this! You can kiss my son goodbye, since he won't be on _your_ team anymore."

Edward winced and I felt a little bit bad for him. But then I remembered the ketchup incident. Haha, what goes around comes around! Sucks for you, Edward dearest!

The man called his wife and son, and he waddled out of the house, trying to keep as much of his dignity as he could. Ah, who was I kidding? He had no dignity left over! We had no shame!

As soon as the man and his family were gone, the Hayden, Xander, and Willie started laughing and high-fiving each other. Edward and I rounded on them.

"Good work, Mom!" Xander said. But then he noticed my face, and they all stopped laughing pretty fast. I guess I was scarier than I thought...

"Alexander Jacob Black and Hayden Morgan Black. Get inside," I said, my voice bordering yelling. Xander and Hayden winced. "NOW!"

They hurried through the doors and inside.

"William," Edward said. "Follow your friends. Bella and I will be having a talk with you."

Willie groaned and trudged in after Xander and Hayden.

"Don't groan at me, mister," Edward said sharply. Sigh...he was hott when he was angry...BELLA! Snap out of it!

"Is there a place where we can yell at them?" I asked Edward as we closed the doors to the backyard behind us.

"This way," he said, leading the boys and me through a hallway and into what looked like a spare bedroom. I looked around our surroundings curiously, since I was a firm believer that how someone decorated their house was a huge reflection on their personality. The bedroom walls were a light blue and the bedspread was various shades of blue. There was a book shelf on one wall, along with a desk. There was a closet and a door that I guessed led to a bathroom. There was a dresser and a few pictures of random places; the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge...you get the idea. "Sit," Edward said sharply, pointing to the bed.

Xander, Hayden, and Willie sat down on the bed obediently. How come Xander and Hayden didn't listen to me that well? I realized that they were all looking at me expectantly, and I cleared my throat. "What were you thinking?" I asked softly.

Hayden burst into tears and Xander looked terrified. They both knew that when I talked this softly they were in huge trouble. Like, grounded for a month trouble. It had happened before, but I would rather not talk about that.

Willie and Edward looked at us, confused. I just shook my head at them. "What did I tell you before the party?" I asked, my voice quivering and showing how angry I really was with them. Those little shits. I had told them not to get into any trouble before the party, and what had they done? They had gone and done the opposite of what I had said. I loved my boys and was generally pretty lenient with them, but if there was one thing that really irked me, it was when they completely ignored what I said.

Xander and Hayden remained silent.

"Alexander. Hayden. Answer me," I commanded them sharply, putting my hands on my hips.

"We were bored," Xander said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. I sighed. Really?

"Really?" I asked, trying hard not to giggle.

"There was nothing else to do," Xander continued, seemingly finding confidence in my tone of voice, which wasn't as soft as it had been. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked up at me earnestly. Oh, no. The look. The look that I was sucker for; the look that got them out of trouble every single time. Be strong, Bella, be strong.

"Nothing else to do?" I asked. "There was tons of things to do!" I threw my hands up into the air. "Am I not being clear enough in what I want or can you two just not follow directions at all?"

"You're being clear, Mama," Hayden said, sniffling and wiping the tears away. My little man. "I'm sorry, Mama."

I sighed. "Thank you. You really embarrassed me today, and I don't want that to happen ever again, do you understand me?"

Xander and Hayden nodded quickly.

"We'll try, Mom," Xander said sweetly.

"That's all I want," I said, opening my arms. They leaped into them, Xander for once not too cool for a hug from his dear old mom.

Edward sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "The same goes for me, bud," he told Willie. "But you're grounded for a couple weeks, alright?"

Willie nodded quickly.

"You're both grounded, too," I told Hayden and Xander, releasing them from the hug and looking them in the face.

"Aww, man!" they both groaned, shoving away from me. I frowned. What, suddenly I wasn't cool enough to get a hug from them?

"You know you deserve it," I told them seriously.

"I guess we do," Xander admitted.

"He agreed with me!" I gasped dramatically. "Call the news stations! Who would've thought!?"

Hayden, Willie, and Edward laughed.

"Shut up, Mom," Xander said, grinning but blushing scarlet.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," I teased him. "Now what do you say we go join the party?"

**Whew! That was a LONG chapter! Yeesh!**

**So, what do you think? Favorite line/part?**

**Omigod, can you believe Sandra Bullock's husband? WHAT. AN. ASS! I swear to God, if I ever meet him in a dark alley...**

**On a happier note...IT'S THE WEEKEND!!! There is a God! **

**Reviews = Happy Author = Update!**

**Love ya,**

**Phoebe  
**


End file.
